Prevalence of Moderate and Severe Food Insecurity

The prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population is based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES). The FIES is an experience-based measure of household or individual food security, which checks how many persons do not have enough food.

The FIES Survey Module (FIES-SM) consists of eight questions regarding people's access to adequate food and can be easily integrated into various types of population surveys.

The FIES-SM questions refer to the experiences of the individual respondent or the respondent's household. The questions focus on self-reported food-related behaviours and experiences associated with increasing difficulties in accessing food due to resource constraints.

During the last 12 months, was there a time when, because of lack of money or other resources:

1. Were you worried you would not have enough food to eat?
2. Were you unable to eat healthy and nutritious food?
3. Did you eat only a few kinds of food?
4. You had to skip a meal?
5. Did you eat less than you thought you should?
6. Did your household run out of food?
7. You were hungry but did not eat?
8. Did you go without eating for a whole day?

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© FAO 2023, Prevalence of Moderate and Severe Food Insecurity, https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#country/220, Accessed on November 21, 2023